Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-12-10
AUNT KITSY'S TRANSLA-
O

Amufied sound Of tapping wings
reached Nanny Suse's ear.
Samuel Kintuck Grant Jones, wat
csc 0 dom on de knees o yer bes'
Sunday breeches unner dat bahnp"
Else ketchin' de T'anksgibin' tur-
key" came Sans unwilling answer
followed by sounds Of another fierce
combat.
You come out'r dat, or you ketch
NOAH dan de Ta~nksgibin' turkey, you
shiftIess niggah! Whar's dat whip"
There was a sudden scramble as
Nanny Suse turned TO take down the
whip from behind the kitchen door,
and she reached the steps again just
la time to see q dusty, clay-stained lit
tie figure scurrying across the open
fieid.
Hump" said Nanny Suse. "dat
won't save m dis time. She amt no
better nur dc res Oh us. an I'll jes' go
n wallop i'm unner her nose. I'll larn
EN- bofe. Translated!-ump!'
1t was very peaceful aud quiet in
Aunt Kitsy's lonely cabin as Nanny
Suse opened the door uncercmoniously
and stalkcd in whip in hand.
s'Whar's my Samp" she demanded
Oh Iuc DtnI ANU WIllkltu Oll NOllliu
in the corner, painfully spelling out
word 10y word the little Bible that lay
cfher knees.
Eyer Sam?' she asked, innocently.
Ivy, whar"-but here all further
discussion was saved by an unfortu-
aate sneezc from under the bed.
@sDar!" exclaimed Nanny Susie,
triumphantlv. Needn't tell me no
lies. You come out'n dat. you Sam,
shoht metre. Use goin' ter wallop yc
cf stays here all day-shuah!" And
she planted herself before the door on
the single remaining chair the room
contained.
Aunt kitsy kept on with her spell
ing, and Sam, under the bed, made
no movement 10 come out aud take
his "walloping."
"A-n-d-and de Lawd - s-a-i-d-
-brcss dc Lawd!"
This soon proved too much for Mann
my Suse's patience. and she made Il
vigorous attack on the o~bstructing bed.
"'W'at yer dom wild my furnitur',
Suse?" demanded Aunt Kitsy.
ELSE b0un' ter lick the aggrayatin'
piece unncr dar, an yo amt goin' ter
1olp it noh0w,' replied Nanny Susc,
sallenly, yet with a certain respect;
aud she made - more vigorous thrust
Hnder the bed, eliciting a howl from
she frightened Sam.
LET i'm lone said Aunt Kitsy,
shortly. He amt doncno harm, an
won't hev ye %proddin' an scratchin'
1nY furnituI' wild "A stick
Nanny Suse's only response was
smother sally under the piece of ''fur-
nitur in question.
Aunt Kitsy rose slowly to her feet.
Now, Aunt Kitsy, standing, was
ching that had been seen but q few
times within the memory Of her oldest
neigllbor, for she had been an invalid
almost since her own recollection, and
the number of her days far outran the
small knowledge of arithmetic pos
sessed 10y either herself or the sur
rounding community.
In some way the old woman's fancy
that her death was to be a translation,
like that of the saints of old, had be-
come a fixed belief, so that she was re-
garded with awe and reverence and
managed to exist on the charity that
+tkSb SCHblliitHlS Chlltu lOItu lIOl1 lIlt
srperstitious negroes around her.
~iSuse," she cried. upholding her
shaking figure on her cane, and fixing
ier piercing little black eyes on the as
tomished Suse; "How dar We des'crat
dc sanctuary oh dc Lawd's chosenp
Didn't We h'ar de parson say | was one
oh de Lawd's chosen ones; an amt
goin' be translated in n brack an
red cheryut, wild two w'te bosses! How
lar We, | sayP Get out'n dist
but Nanny Suse's Jealous rage had
been growing too long to admit of easy
suppression, and now it burst forth.
TRANSLATED" she cried. IAN ole
niggah woman like you! As eff dc
iawd he'd any use for sech brack trash!
Wen you goin' be translated, eff you
80 shuah bout it? Den we b'leeve
some er yer stories bout brack cherry
uts an tie horses. Tell us wen"
Aunt Kitsy was dumb with surprise.
Iier power was weakening; popular
belief in her translation was failing.
Something desperate must be done.
"You-you sinful creetur! how dar
&c NIX queshuns like dat ar? Wen air
4 goin' be translated? Tanksgibin'
day! Oar, now, you low-down brack
niggah! get outer dis house quick or
dc Lawd Hisself II punish you fer an
unbleeven sinncr!'
Suse needed no second invitation to
leave the vicinity Of that uplifted stick;
aud she forgot Sam and her wrath
both rs she hurried away to tell of
Aunt Eiysy's wonderful announcement.
Poor Aunt Kitsy!
AS Suse vanished down the hillside
she sank into her chair with n groan
FOO well she knew the consequences
her hasty anger involved. Unless she
was TRANSLATED" on Thanksgiving Day
she would be scorned and Knocked at
by every person, old and young, for
miles around; and to be deprived of
the position her vaguely-expected
translation had given her would, Aunt
Kitsy felt in her first despair, be less
desirable than death.
Sam crept Il of his hiding place
and hurried home. frightened at the
sight OF Aunt Kitsy wringing her hands
aud moaning: "W'at ] do? Wat
ebber makes me s'pose de Lawd want
Ter translate an ole, dried-up, no.
count niggahp o Lawd, wat | do?
Dear, good, KIND Lawd, translate, me